PSALM 25:1-9 – “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way.”
THEME OF THE DAY: NOT NECESSARILY AS WE THINK. Many of us know the following verses by heart. If not, we are familiar with them. Likewise, many of us have received counsel from caring brothers and sisters from these verses when going through difficult times. And we may have given such counsel ourselves. The verses? They come from the prophet Isaiah. . . .
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Well, these words from the Lord through Isaiah describe the process of spiritual growth. It will not necessarily unfold as we think. In fact, it won’t. Be careful, very careful, to boldly declare where God is leading us, and how He is leading us. We cannot solely rely upon our circumstances, our feelings, or even that fact we have peace about a decision or direction. We frankly need to be quicker to admit, “His ways and not our ways” and the only thing we may say with absolute certainty is what He is doing in our lives – conforming us into the image of Christ . . .
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:28-29).
In the process of growing in the grace of Christ-likeness, today’s scripture provides for us the prayer we embrace and the virtue to have.
First, the prayer – “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me”. It really is a prayer for teachability and that is something we need the Lord to do constantly in us.
Next is the virtue necessary for spiritual growth. It is mentioned twice in today’s scripture – humility. And we grow in humility when we humbly acknowledge God’s ways and not our ways and submit to Him and His ways wholeheartedly.
Remember His ways are not our ways, and a teachable spirit comes from a humble attitude knowing this truth.
PRAYER: Father, may I learn to submit to Your ways without needing to understand Your ways.
REFLECTION: God works all things for His glory and our good. Let that truth be enough to settle an anxious heart.